Flume



April 19, 1932. A. c. NORTON FLUME Filed Jan. 26, 1929 INVENTOR. W42 (Law! 7417311 A TTOR NE Y5.

w wrur M ww u amfi I N P N Patented Apr. 19, 1932 warren stares PATENT OFFICE ALBERT COIJWELL NORTON, OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO CALIFORNIA. CORRUGATED CULVERT 00., OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA FL'UME Application filed January 26, 1929. Serial N 0. 335,282.

My invention relates to sheet metal fiumes, and more particularly to means for permitting expansion and contraction, notonly in the flume itself, but also in the supporting structure.

The principal object of the invention is to provide means for supporting and joining together the adjacent trough sections of a flume which will permit both the trough sections and the supporting structure to expand andcontact, under the influence of changes in temperature or other causes, without causing buckling of the trough sections or leakage at its joints. A further object of the invention is to provide such joining and supporting means of the maximum strength and simplicity and at low cost. These and other objects and advantages will be more fully brought out in the following description of 0 a structure embodying my invention in its preferred form, it being understood that the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts described and illustrated may be varied, within the limits of the claims here- 5 to appended, without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth therein.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a flume carried by a metal supporting structure.

0 Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the trough, showing a preferred form of expan-.

sion jolnt.

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail, enlarged, showa type of joint adapted to accommodate limj ited expansion and contraction.

Fig. 5 is a perspective detail of a preferred means for mounting the end of a flume.

Fig. 6 is a detailed plan of one form of hanger plate as shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional detail of a modified arrangement for suspending the trough.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I have shown, in Figs. 1 and 2, a metal supporting structure of a well known type, comprising top and bottom longitudinal members 11 and 12 respectively, and diagonal braces 13 joining said top and bottom members to form a truss. The truss thus formed constitutes one side member of the support- 7 shown in Fig. 1, the joint between them being shown at 15. The ends of said trusses rest movably upon a pier l6, sufficient space being left between them to allow for the maximum amount of expansion.

The trough of the flume, which is made of sheet metal sections of semi-cylindrical form, is suspended from the truss members 11. Two such sections are shown at 17 and 18, at the ends of Fig. 1, connected together by coupling sections 19 and 20 to be described hereinafter. The joints between the sections 17 and 19, and between the sections 18 and 20, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, are capable of taking care of the relatively small amount of expansion and contraction occurring in the length of each trough section. Each such joint comprises interfitting beads 21 and 22, formed upon the ends of the meeting sections, said beads having slightly different cross-sectional curvature or radius, as shown in Fig. 4. The beads are held firmly together by a'compression member 23, of semicircular section, lying within the inner bead 22, and two tension members or rods 24 lying adjacent the outer head 21. The extreme end of the outer section is curled outwardly, as shown at 25, to keep the outermost tension member 24 from slipping off. The free spaces 25, produced by the difference in radii of the beads 21 and 22, permit limited relative movement between the two sections, thus allowing for expansion and contraction.

The ends of the compression member 23 abut against horizontally positioned hanger plates 26. The ends of the tension members 24 pass through said plates, and are provided with nuts 27 by which the plates are drawn down against the ends of the compression member 23, thus clamping the beads 21 and 22 tightly together. The edge of the inner head 22 terminates below the inner surface of the trough, and the spaces around the compression member 23 are filled with some plastic sealing material 28 such for example as asphalt, to provide the trough with a smooth interior surface. It is preferable to embed the compression member 23 in said sealing material, as shown.

The hanger plates 26 extend outwardly and rest upon the frame members 11, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6. In order to permit some longitudinal movement between the trough and the frame, I provide said plates with slots 29, through which pass bolts 30 securing them movably to the frame members 11. The hanger plates 26 and the tension rods 24 of the joint thus form suspension means for hanging the trough from its frame.

At the ends of the flume, the trough is supported in a somewhat different manner, as illustrated in Fig. 5, in which the frame member 11 and the trough section, here numbered 17', are shown as terminating at a concrete structure 30, having a transverse wall or abutment 31 with a semicircular upper face upon which the end of said trough section 17 rests. A groove 32 is formed in said face, and the end of the trough section 17 is provided with a bead 32 lying within said groove. A compression member 23 is pressed tightly into said bead by having its-ends abut against plates 33, secured to the concrete structure 30 by bolts 34. Thus the end of the trough 17 is securely clamped against the surface of the abutment 31. The groove 32 may be filled with plastic material if desired. It is wide enough to allow the bead 32 to shift under expansion and contraction of the trough section.

The expansion joint between the trough sections 19 and 20, which permits expansion and contraction, not only of said sections but also of the truss members 11 and 12, is shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The section 19 is carried by that portion of the frame lying to the right of the joint 15, and the section 20 by the frame to the left of said joint. The trough section 20, is provided with two spaced transverse beads 36 and 37 the latter positioned some distance back from the end of said section.

The trough section 19, which over-laps the outer surface of the section 20, has a wide offset 39 within which the bead 37 lies. A short trough section 40 overlies the end 41 of the section 19, and one of its ends is secured to the section 20 at the bead 36 by a compression member 42 and tension members 43 in the same manner as in the joint previously described. Plates 43 connect said members,

and may rest upon the stringer 11, as in the case of the hanger plates 26 described above.

- A spacer or filler strip 44 is provided between the sections 20 and 40, to prevent bindingupon the end 41 of the section 19. The other end of the section 40 is provided with a bead 45 in which lies a strip 46 of resilient packing material, and is pressed against the outside of the section 19 by tension rods 47. A compressi on member 48, Within the bead 37, and a tension member 49, adjacent the end of the offset 39, keep the end portion of the section 20 in firm contact with the inside of the section 19.

The tension rods 47 extend through plates 50, one of which appears in Fig. 1, which rest upon the stringer 11 and are extended longitudinally to bear against the ends of the compression member 48. The tension member 49 is held by plates 51 bearing upon the stringer 11 on the other side of the joint 15. Thus it will be seen that the two sections 19 and 20 may have considerable relative movement, the end 41 of the section 19 working in the space between the section 20 and the short section 40. Whether such movement is due to expansion and contraction of the trough sections or of the supporting frame is immaterial.

A second form of hanger for suspending the trough from the frame members, While permitting some longitudinal movement of said trough relative to its frame, is shown at the left hand end of Fig. 1. In this case, the tension rods, designated 24', are extended above the hanger plate 26, and pass through a longitudinal stringer 52 resting upon the frame cross members 14 and spaced above said hanger plate. Nuts 27 are screwed upon the rods 24 above said hanger plate, as before, to hold the joint together by bearing upon the compression member 23, and another pair of nuts 53 are provided upon said rods above the stringer 52. The plate 26' is not attached to the frame member 11, and need not even rest thereon unless it is desired to take some weight off the nuts 53. The space between the plate 26 and the stringer 52 allows the rods 24 to bend sufficiently to permit some movement on the part of the trough relative to the frame.

The same result can be accomplished by the construction shown in Fig. 7, wherein the tension rods, one of which is shown at 24" are extended upwardly through enlarged holes 54 in the frame cross member 14. The weight is carried by thrust plates 55 and nuts 53 on the upper ends of said rods. The joint is clamped, as before, between said tension members and the inner compression member 23", whose end abuts against a thrust plate 26, the latter being held in position by nuts 27 on the rods 24". Thus the rod is permitted to shift or bend, within the enlarged hole 54, to enable it to followminor contraction and expansion of the trough 17. Both' this construction and that described in the preceding paragraph have the additional advantage of permitting lateral distortion of the trough under the influence of the weight of the water flowing in it.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that my flume provides simple and easily constructed means for taking care of all expansion and contraction, not only in the trough but in the supporting structure as well. Thus the oint shown in detail in Fig. 4 may be used between trough sections both of which are supported by the same section of frame or truss. The different radii of its inter-fitting beads permit limited relative movement, and the ending of the inner bead below the inner surface of the trough prevents said end from being forced out beyond said surface when expansion occurs.

The joint shown in the center of Fig. 3, allowing greater movement, is suitable for use between trough sections supported by two different frame sections. The means for hanging the trough sections from the frame also allow for relative movement, the arrangements shown in Figs. 2, 6 and 7 and at the left hand end of Fig. 1 being suitable for use throughout the length of the flume, and the construction shown in Fig. 5 being used at its ends. The entire flume is thus flexibly constructed, both in its joints and in its mounting upon the supporting frame.

I claim 1. A flume comprising a pair of relatively movable trough sections having overlapping ends; a pair of spaced transverse beads formed in the inner section; compression members lying in said beads; an offset formed in the outer section, said offset being adapted to movably receive one of said beads; a third trough section positioned outside said inner section and overlapping the end of the outer section, said third section having a bead at each end, one of said beads fitting over the other bead of said inner section; packing means lying within the other bead of said third section; and tension members positioned adjacent said beads and said ofiset to support and retain the sections in contact.

2. A flume comprising a pair of relatively movable trough sections having overlapping ends; a transverse bead formed in the inner section; a third trough section positioned outside said inner section and overlapping the end of the outer section, said third section having a bead at each end, one of said beads fitting over the bead of said inner section; packing means lying within the other bead of said third section; a compression member within the bead of said inner section; and tension members positioned adjacent the beads of said third section to support and retain the sections in contact.

3. A flume comprising a pair of relatively movable trough sections having overlapping ends; a pair of spaced transverse beads formed in the inner section; compression members lying in said beads; an offset formed in the outer section, said offset being adapted to movably receive one of said beads; a third trough section positioned outside said inner section and overlapping the end of the outer section, said third section having a bead fitting over the other bead of said inner section; and tension members positioned adjacent the offset of the outer section and the bead of the third section for supporting and retaining the sections in contact.

4;. A flume comprising a pair of relatively ALBERT COLVVELL NORTON. 

